Tool #11 Digital Citizenship

I have to comment on: What three things would I teach my students about Digital Citizenship?

The three things I would teach them is: Digital Responsibility, Digital Health, and Wellness, and Digital Safety.

Digital Responsibility - Use appropriate behavior and have digital etiquette. To know how to use technology appropriately, and to be responsible with it.

Digital Health & Wellness - There are physical as well as psychological issues that become a problem, like Internet Addiction. Students have to learn to protect themselves, through education, and learning. In other words, they can't be on the internet 24 hours a day!

Digital Safety - (protecting oneself) - In society, there are people who steal identities or disrupt

other people. Just like we protect our homes, and properties, we must protect our computers from viruses, data backups, surge control of our equipment, hackers, etc. We, as responsible citizens must protect our information from outside forces that might cause us harm.

Once we address these elements, then we can have safe communication, access, and connection to everything else.

How would I teach this to my students?

I would teach this through rules! Just like schools keep records or files on our kids, well, records of their lives are being posted online. And their lives can now be copied, pasted, altered, and distributed to a huge invisible audience. Kids today hold the key to what kind of reputation they create for themselves. I have to lay down rules!

Guard Your Privacy - Don't give every detail about your private life or information!

Protect Your Reputation - Think about what you are going to post, whatever you do might hurt you in the future.

Nothing Is Private Online - Everyone can see what you copy, paste, and send to trillions of people, without your permission.

Assume Everyone Is Watching - If you send something to someone, friend, family, etc. they too can see everything.

Apply The Golden Rule - Don't do unto others what you wouldn't want done to you.

Watch The Time - Balance your life!

Use Your Judgement Wisely - Not everything you see is appropriate! What you see might not be all true.

Don't Hide! - Using anonymity to hide your actions doesn't turn you into a trustworthy, responsible person.

Be Smart, Be Safe! - Not everyone is, who they say they are!

Teaching these rules to my students would make them better, responsible, and wise digital citizens.